Bandit Bride

Felix should have dumped the girl behind. He lingered back with Burns, Lyle, and Allen while Elisa and Jack walked a few feet ahead, chatting and laughing about whatever interested them at the moment. If anything, Felix supposed he was glad that Jack seemed to have a friend. He was always around older men, and the crew didn’t always have the patience for him.

Felix often felt guilty about his younger brother being an outcast and not getting much of a childhood, but in his defense, none of them had a childhood. Anthony had taken responsibility after the death of their drunken mother, and the three had been on the streets since their home had been taken from them after that. They all had to grow up fast.

“So she’s just here now?” Allen grunted. “Slowing us down?”

Felix sighed, shooting Allen a glare. He had been with them for a long time, and had been a good friend of Anthony’s. Felix always felt like the man was more than a little bit resentful of Felic taking charge of anything, feeling like he was entitled to the leadership. And he was probably right. He was a large and menacing figure with heavy scarring. Lyle wasn’t quite as big and menacing as Allen. He was a smaller and thinner man, but he was a damn good liar. And charming, too. He could gain power and influence over a person without them even realizing it. When Felix looked at him, he just looked down at his feet. He wasn’t quite as upfront about it, but he seemed to agree with Allen.

Felix then looked at Burns, who just shrugged. Burns got his name from his fiery red hair, and because no one knew his real name. The man’s tongue had been cut out as a punishment some time in his youth, and his illiteracy meant he couldn’t write down what he was thinking. He was a damn good listener though. He was a year or two younger than Felix and usually lingered in the background, listening intently to everything and watching with a wide-eyed gaze. There were few things he didn’t notice, and knew things that many didn’t. Even if he couldn’t talk about them. Burns didn’t look away from Felix, but shrugged.

“Look,” Felix sighed. “I know you’re all confused about why I’m letting her tag along, but it’s hard to explain. I promise we’ll dump her somewhere, but this just isn’t the place to do it. Besides, she knows our faces now. And she can report us to authorities if we wrong her.”

“She can’t report anything if we cut out her tongue,” Allen said flatly, receiving a harsh glare from Burns.

“Or we can hold her for ransom,” Lyle suggested. “Not only do we send her away, back to this fiance of hers, but we get a bit of coin, too.”

“Or we kill her,” Allen added.

“We’re not going to kill her,” Felix snapped. “We’re not going to hold her hostage, sell her, or whatever other sick thing you two come up with. Besides, she said she’ll cook for us. And make repairs.”

“What’s wrong with my cooking?” Lyle asked. “Who cares if its cooked for the queen or not? Burns can’t even taste it.”

Burns turned about as red as his hair, unsure of why he had to be the butt of every joke.

“Nothing,” Felix said. “But you won’t have to worry about it anymore.”

“I still don’t trust her,” Allen said. “At least she’s keeping the kid occupied.”

Allen shoved past Felix to walk separate from the group, Lyle following quietly after him. Felix looked at Burns, who gave him a sort of sad smile.

“Am I stupid?” he asked.

Burns shook his head, patting Felix on the shoulder.

“Well I sure feel like an idiot,” Felix grumbled. “They’re acting like I am.”

Burns walked for a little bit, then plucked a flower off of a bush, holding it up with a raised eyebrow and gesturing towards Elisa. It took Felix a moment to understand what he meant, suddenly shaking his head.

“Huh?” he frowned. “No, no. No no no. It’s nothing like that. Married women aren’t really my type.”

Burns shrugged, tossing the flower aside. Felix supposed Elisa wasn’t actually married, but it was a shot he pushed from his mind.

“We’ll drop her when we get to town,” he concluded. “And then we won’t worry about it anymore.”

He looked back at Burns, and while he didn’t give much of a response there was a look of disappointment in his eyes. Felix shook it off, quiet the rest of the way. Langdale was a smaller town, entirely populated by the common worker. Farmers, shopkeepers, and some minor traveling merchants. It was a change of pace from the massive divide between the upper and lower class, and a place where most people knew each other and were welcoming of travelers. Even the unsavory ones.

They settled down at an inn for the night, gathering down at the pub attached to it. Elisa and Jack seemed to stick by each other for the most part, considering that the way they annoyed the others was something they shared in common. Felix swooped by and pulled Jack away, to a quiet corner.

“Hey!” Jack grumbled. “We were mid-conversation!”

“You need to stop,” Felix whispered. “You can’t make her feel like she’s part of the group.”

“Why not?”

“Because we’re leaving her here,” Felix said. “In the morning. We’re leaving before she wakes up.”

“What?!” Jack said, eyes widening. “How come?”

“We don’t have room for her here,” he explained. “She comes from a different world than us. If she slows us down to the point of getting in trouble, she’ll walk free because of her name. We won’t.”

“She’ll get lost on her own,” Jack protested. “Or someone will hurt her. Or she’ll be forced to go back to her family and forced to marry that guy.”

“That’s not our problem,” Felix said.

“She’s my friend.”

Felix went silent, not having a response for the kid. Jack held his ground with a sort of strength Felix rarely saw from him, which meant it was something he truly believed in. He opened and closed his mouth a few times, unsure of what to say. He eventually just shook his head and went back to the table, sitting down. Elisa had moved to sit by Burns, smiling and watching as he expertly tuned a lute he had found somewhere. He managed to tune it well enough to play a happy little tune. He couldn’t sing, but he had an impressive affinity for music.

“Where did you learn to play?” Elisa asked him.

“He doesn’t speak,” Felix told her.

He was a little harsh about it, so Burns gave her a gentle nod and a wink, letting her know that she wasn’t offended.

“This is nice,” she said. “Do you all do this often?”

“Until we split up to spend the night with a lady,” Allen smirked. “Who are you going with tonight? Jack, or are you taking a liking to Burns now?”

“Allen, go get drinks,” Felix snapped. “Now.”

Allen scowled and rolled his eyes, standing up and heading towards the bar to get the attention of a barkeep. Elisa just looked down, and Felix felt a pang of guilt. They really were making it difficult for her.

“Okay,” he mumbled. “We’ll let you stay with us.”

“Really?” Elisa perked up.

“But you have to prove that you can do the job,” he said. “Our job.”

“Oh,” she said, hesitating. “Well... How do I do it?”

“Well, that’s up to you,” Felix said. “You have to know where your strengths and weaknesses are. Jack, why don’t you show her?”

Jack nodded quickly, getting up from his seat and wandering to a part of the tavern where a couple of men sat with a few scantily clad ladies, laughing and drinking. They were good targets. Far too drunk to have noticed Jack and who he was with. The boy cleared his throat and took a few deep breaths, his breath growing more shaky each time. Just moments later his eyes started to well up with tears. He had a talent when it came to crying on command, and it was certainly useful while he was still young.

He approached the group, tapping one of the women. Her expression instantly shifted to concern and she gently placed a hand on his cheek. They were too far away to hear the conversation, but Felix knew the drill by now.

“He’s telling her that he can’t find his mother,” he narrated to Elisa. “He’s describing her. She’s saying she hasn’t seen a woman like that. He becomes hysterical. And... there it is. She’s hugging him to calm him down. He sniffs a little and wipes at his tears, then leaves. She’s drunk. She’ll forget about this encounter in a minute or two.”

As Felix concluded the narration Jack came back, wiping the tears away with the back of his sleeve. He grinned and held out his hand, dropping a gold necklace into Felix’s palm. When they looked back, the woman’s neck was bare and she had hardly even noticed.

“Do you understand?” Felix asked Elisa.

“I think so,” she said.

“Lyle likes to play the handsome prince,” Felix explained. “Allen uses brute force for the most part. Burns is so quiet that he doesn’t even have to play a part.”

“What about you?”

“You should know better than anyone.”

“Highway robbery,” she said. “Targeting people who are alone and least expecting it.”

“You got it.”

She glanced around at the others in the tavern, then nodded.

“Okay, I’ll do it,” she said. “But I’m holding you to your promise. If I’m successful, I get to join your crew here. No more questions, no more rude remarks.”

“Deal.”